Castles and Historic Sites in Co. Galway
7 places
1.Dún Aonghasa
3,000-year-old fort on a sheer 87m cliff
A 3,000-year-old stone fort perched on the edge of an 87-metre sea cliff on Inis Mór — one of Europe's most dramatic prehistoric monuments, with no barrier between you and the Atlantic.
- Highlights
- 3,000-year-old Bronze Age hillfort on a 87 m sea cliff
- Europe's finest chevaux-de-frise defensive stone field
- No barrier at the cliff edge — pure, raw Atlantic drama
2.Plassey Shipwreck
Immortalised in Father Ted opening credits
The rusted hull of a 1960 cargo shipwreck, immortalised in the opening credits of Father Ted, sitting on the rocky eastern shore of Inis Oírr — free to visit and open all day, every day.
- Highlights
- Appears in the Father Ted opening credits
- All 11 crew rescued by islanders using a breeches buoy in 1960
- Originally HMS Juliet, a WWII naval trawler built in 1940
3.Portumna Castle & Gardens
A living willow maze and walled kitchen garden
A striking Jacobean semi-fortified manor house — one of Ireland's finest early 1600s transitional buildings — set in formal gardens on the shore of Lough Derg, right beside Portumna Forest Park.
- Highlights
- Jacobean semi-fortified architecture with Renaissance details
- Three formal garden enclosures with geometric layouts
- Restored 17th-century walled kitchen garden
4.Aughnanure Castle
Married pirate queen Grace O'Malley in 1546
Connemara's best-preserved late-medieval tower house, built by the O'Flaherty clan on a rocky outcrop above the Drimneen River — a rare surviving example of a Gaelic chieftain's stronghold with an unusual double-baun defence system.
- Highlights
- Rare double-baun defence with five flanking towers
- Murder hole and deliberately uneven spiral staircase
- Banqueting hall with carved grape-and-vine windows
5.Menlo Castle
a fire-ravaged 16th-century ruin on the River Corrib
A fire-ravaged 16th-century castle ruin on the banks of the River Corrib, 3.5 km north of Galway city. Menlo Castle was home to the Blake family for over 300 years until a devastating fire in 1910 left only its walls standing.
- Highlights
- 16th-century tower house with a later Jacobean mansion
- Riverside setting on the River Corrib
- Blake coat of arms above the entrance
6.Clifden Castle
Gothic ruin with mock standing stones
A roofless Gothic Revival manor house from 1818, hidden down a farm track at the start of Connemara's spectacular Sky Road — complete with mock standing stones, ivy-clad walls, and sweeping views over Clifden Bay.
- Highlights
- Gothic Revival manor house built c.1818 by John D'Arcy, founder of Clifden
- Mock standing stones lining the approach path
- Dramatic ivy-covered rear façade
7.Dunguaire Castle
Where Yeats, Shaw and Synge gathered
A stunning 16th-century tower house perched on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Galway Bay — once a gathering place for Yeats, Shaw and Synge during Ireland's literary revival. Note: the castle is currently closed to the public due to an ongoing ownership dispute.
- Highlights
- Most photographed castle in Ireland
- Literary meeting place of Yeats, Shaw, Synge & Lady Gregory
- Spectacular Galway Bay shoreline setting